van den Berge, 76, has been traveling the world since the 1970s. He visited Vietnam in 1997 on a journey from north to south.

In June, a series of his photographs taken in Hoi An resurfaced and were shared on social media platforms.

One of the images shows the Japanese Pagoda Bridge in the town's southwest.

The historic structure links Tran Phu Street with Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street and spans a small stream that flows into the Hoai River.

One photograph shows part of a funeral processing, which involves placing the coffin on a palanquin and carrying it through the neighborhood or along the street connected to the deceased as a final farewell.

The coffin would then be moved onto a hearse and transported to the cemetery.

Tran Thi Du, 41, from Hoi An, added that the deceased's portrait was placed inside a smaller palanquin.

This photograph captures Huynh Thi Mai selling steamed fish in Hoi An in 1997.

Do Ngoc, Mai's granddaughter, said she was surprised and moved to recognize her grandmother in the photo.

She added that Mai was also delighted to see the old image again, describing it as a valuable record of the past.

Mai lived by the riverside at the time. She would purchase mackerel, tuna, shrimp and squid directly from fishing boats, preserve them with salt to maintain freshness, and then arrange them in baskets for steaming before selling them at mountain markets.

Mr. Toi (pictured), a boatman, is a neighbor of Ms. Du.

Du recalled that when she was a child, her parents would go to the Bach Dang riverbank to buy steamed fish and then ask Toi to transport the goods back to their home in Cam Nam by boat.

"Looking at these photos, I realize how much Hoi An has changed, but the kindness and hospitality of the people remain the same," Du said.

This image depicts Bach Dang Street, now part of Hoi An's Old Quarter.

After nearly three decades, Berge said he no longer remembers the exact context of each photograph.

He recalled that in 1997, English was not widely spoken in Hoi An, and locals were still unfamiliar with hosting international visitors.

He added that travel conditions at the time were challenging, with dusty roads and heavy truck traffic on the routes leading into the town.

Upon arrival, he was turned away by several accommodations that did not yet have permits to host foreign tourists.

Berge said that language barriers caused him to be refused gasoline or forced to buy goods at higher prices.

Explaining this, Du said that in 1997, Hoi An had few international tourists. Local people were hesitant to communicate in foreign languages, so they often refused transactions to avoid having to explain.

This photo was taken in front of the Hoi An Trade Ceramics Museum on Tran Phu Street. The museum opened in 1995 with the support of Japanese experts.

It displays hundreds of artifacts dating from the 9th to 19th centuries, evidence of Hoi An's time as an international trading port.

Street vendors selling Quang noodles from baskets that they carried on their shoulders in Hoi An.